Byakuya sensei!
by meriin
Summary: compared to the law,there is no value in emotion.I never posessed such absurd emotions in the first place.Kuchiki Byakuya takes up the job as sensei at the shinigami academy,where he meets Rei, a person who is more than willing to make him eat his words.
1. First day at school

My first fic. be nice yah!

Disclaimer: no. bleach does not belong to me, only Rei and a few others do. i wish it did though.

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Sunlight filtered in through the window of one of the many, identical dormitories in the central school of spiritual arts, casting a bright patch on one of the pages of a book that lay on the lap of a sleeping student. 

The sleepy female let out a small, muffled groan, rubbing at her tired eyes vigorously, as a string of incoherent words spewed from her mouth. "Crap, it can't be morning already?" Rei grumbled softly, lifting a tired head slowly, trying her best to resist the urge to shut her heavy eyelids and fall back into a sleep induced stupor. "Iie, I can not go back to sleep," she murmured, giving in for a moment, her head drooping slightly before lifting again, as she got to her feet shakily, her book clattering to the floor as she moved slowly to her closet, her movements clumsy as she threw of her pajamas and donned the heavy robe, tying the knot in her sash with well rehearsed movements. Small hands splashed water onto a tired face, and Rei shuddered involuntarily before grabbing her books. Sprinting towards the door, Rei cursed silently before skidding to a stop, as she grabbed her book and a small glass cube off her table before rushing out again. Swearing curses so foul that even a drunk sailor would not know, Rei sprinted towards her class room, so fast that to an untrained eye, she looked as if she was flash stepping.

"Teach?" the words left his lips in a monotone that identified him as none other than Kuchiki Byakuya, an eyebrow lifted slightly as icy blue eyes fixed on his family advisors and first division captain Yamamoto.

"That's what I think I said, unless my memory is failing me," Yamamoto replied calmly, matching the Kuchiki captains questioning gaze with a calm one of his own. "Simply because the specialty of the 6th division is tactical combat, a subject in whom we think Shinigami trainees should know more about. Also, one of the university lectures is ill, and we require someone to replace him for the time being." Yamamoto explained. The Kuchiki's gaze shifted to his advisor who was trying his best to show how much he supported the idea, without nodding too vigorously.

"And how long will I be required to take this position?" he asked coolly.

"About two months, and two hours a day. It shouldn't be too much trouble." Yamamoto stated in a tone that clearly hinted that there was no backing out for the sixth division captain. "It should be manageable. If there's nothing else, I take my leave," Kuchiki stated calmly, as he got to his feet and left the room, followed by his advisors, leaving behind a silently watching Yamamoto.

"I you sure this is a good idea, because I get the feeling that his students are going to either be killed by his impatience, or by his ever so suffocating manner," a throaty voice remarked, as Yoruichi stepped out from a corner, a look of amusement gracing her features.

"If that is true, then it will be a learning experience for both the pupils and him. Besides, I have a feeling that those two months at the academy will benefit him better than going around slaying hollows and doing paper work." Yamamoto replied wisely, in a tone that hid and yet so obviously showed that he knew something she didn't. Yoruichi raised an eyebrow doubtfully but said nothing, as she stretched her muscles, looking more cat-like than ever.

"Doesn't really matter to me," she said with a shrug," Since I won't be the one teaching those brainless, clumsy brats. And besides, it's bound to be amusing," she smirked.

Kuchiki Byakuya's face remained his usual porcelain calm and perfect as he strode down the corridor of the central school of spiritual arts. Inside his head however, his mind was berating him as to why he had been stupid enough to agree, when it was obviously clear that no amount of honor that it would bring to the Kuchiki family was worth spending 2 months in here when the time could be better spent finishing his unending pile of paper work. He subconsciously noted the awe-struck gazes that he was attracting, but he shrugged it off easily, like taking off a coat. He had gone through this all his life (you had to pay a price for being a Kuchiki), and it would be impossible for him to have not gotten used to it.

Rei Kusaka found herself at the practice field around two minutes later, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Sprinting from one end of the academy to the other did that to a person, after all, the academy could hardly be considered small. "Is sensei here yet?" she panted, doubled over slightly to catch her breath.

"Didn't you know? Sensei's sick. We're getting a substitute teacher," A tall and lithe brown-haired girl stated in a tone that one would use when stating that the sky was blue. This statement drew a groan from the tired girl who plopped down onto the ground tiredly. "Yura…" she whined, pouting. "You should have told me! Then I wouldn't have had to sprint here in two minutes!" the smaller girl berated.

"Well, I would so hate to deprive you of your daily exercise," Yura replied wryly, leaning over her best friend.

"Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to include you in my thank-you speech when I break the cross academy record," Rei said dryly before closing her eyes tiredly. "Ah… crap. I could have gotten ten minutes more of sleep…" the small girl mused to herself.

"Eto. Rei, I think you better get up," Yura's nervous tone punctuated her thoughts, but before she could reply, she felt a presence over her.

"Teme…" she mumbled under her breath, cracking an eye open, only to be greeted by icy blue pupils that bore into hers.

"I would suggest you get up, unless you've invented some new method of swordsmanship that can be performed while lying on the ground with one's eyes closed," his said dryly. Rei jumped to her feet with ease.

"Well. It's not exactly swordsmanship. It's a Kidou actually, one for replenishing one's energy. It's pretty simple. All you have to do is to find a comfortable horizontal surface, lie down, shut your eyes, and let the Kidou take its effect. Its called sleep," she countered in an even dryer tone, if that was possible.

The sixth division captain had difficulty deciding if he was more amused or surprised. All the same, his face remained its emotionless mask, with the exception of his eyes narrowing slightly. "You would do well if you could move your zanpaktou as quickly as you do your tongue," was the cold reply he settled on. Rei rolled her eyes in slight disdain, her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl etched on her usually smiling features. Unexpectedly, a small smile graced her lips. If he wanted a fight, he would get it. After all, she had missed her daily work-out yesterday night due to being too caught up in her novel; she really couldn't be blamed for it, after all she had wanted to see who Hermione would end up with.

"How do you know I can't?" she challenged. She was pretty sure she heard a collective intake of breath from most of her classmates, as well as Yura slapping herself on the forehead mumbling about stupid best friends with the intelligence of a cow, as well as a few nobles gossiping about disrespect and ignorance being expected from Rukongai filth. For a moment, she thought that she had seen surprise in his eyes, but a blink and the emotion was gone, replaced by his ever impassive stare, as his hand moved to the hilt of his sword.

"Shall we put that statement to the test?" he asked his gaze unflinching. Her lips formed a small smirk, her hand moving to the hilt of her zanpaktou ready to draw it in a movement so rehearsed that she felt as if she had been doing it since she was a toddler.

"Don't mind if I do," was her simple reply, as their eyes met in a fiery gaze, both equally confident and a slight smirk on her lips.

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be nice and review kaes! 


	2. fights and injuries

HELLOS! yays. I'm super happy i at least got reviews. I really do hope i'm writing well.Reviews ok!

Disclaimer: If i did own bleach, you would see a topless byakuya as often as humanly possible. swoons

XD on to the story

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"_Don't mind if I do," was her simple reply, as their eyes met in a fiery gaze, both equally confident and a slight smirk on her lips. _

Rei lowered herself into a defensive stance, violet eyes sharp, and fixed on him, looking out for any small sign or movement that would betray his next move, only to be greeted with a sharp whack on her head that threw her completely off balance.

"Itai!" Rei complained, rubbing at the growing lump on her head, as she turned to face her assailant.

"Yura…" she growled, glaring at the offending brunette, the Kuchiki captain completely forgotten. A rather irate Yura had a scowl on her face that matched Rei's.

"Gomen Nasai, Kuchiki Taichou. Rei can be a bit rash at times," Yura apologized hurriedly before forcing a struggling Rei's head down in a bow of apology, before Rei could object, and dragging a violently thrashing Rei away. The Kuchiki captain watched them with slight amusement that would only be noted by someone who knew him well enough.

"Are you crazy?" Yura demanded, whacking Rei on the head the moment they were out of earshot.

"Stop it! My head hurts enough as it is," Rei shouted, jumping a safe distance away and rubbing her aching head, a rather displeased look on her features.

"Give it a rest would you, I highly doubt my resemblance to a punching bag! And what's wrong with you? You usually don't disapprove," Rei protested angrily.

"Do you have ANY idea who that is?" Yura hissed, looking more than a little upset.

"Does it matter? No matter who he is, he's just a soul," Rei replied bluntly.

"Well, get this into your less than informed head. That is Kuchiki Byakuya. He's head of one of the four great noble houses of Sereitei!" Rei's face considerably hardened at this point. "He's also the sixth division captain," Yura added hastily, noting the change in her friend's expression. Rei's eyebrow rose an inch higher.

"Figures his manner is more than oppressive enough," she stated blithely.

"Yes well, the point is, he usually gets his way. No point changing that now," Yura explained, hoping that for once, her friend's logic would overpower her reckless stubbornness that would kick in as it usually did.

A determined smirk blossomed on Rei's face. "I've always been a non-conformist. No point changing that now," she grinned slightly, before hurriedly jumping away, noting the look of chagrin on her friend's face.

"I wouldn't be Rei Kusaka if I did," she said with a cryptic smile before merrily running back to join the class. Yura shook her head with a sigh, and chased after her hyperactive friend.

Kuchiki Byakuya battled the urge to throw a cynical remark as he watched the two female students rush back to join the class. The confident smile on the small brunette's face however, gave him a rather ominous feeling.

"Pair up into groups of two, with people who are not your best friends, and duel. No fist or foot combat, only swordsmanship. It shouldn't be too difficult for the graduating class," he said plainly, pausing for a while to let his words sink in. "It had better not be."

Rei rolled her eyes, scowling, "as if it would kill him to be nice for an hour even," she mumbled under her breath. She gave a sigh as she watched her classmate's pair up slowly, Yura giving her a sad look before going off with a guy she recognized as the heir of one of the richer families of Sereitei. Finally, she found herself facing a sneering blonde with grayish eyes. "Stupid aristocrats," she said with a sigh.

"You think you're so great don't you," the girl said with a disgusted sneer, grayish eyes filled with hatred, "Just because you're ignorant enough to not know the consequences of speaking to Kuchiki-sama like that. You're lucky that Kuchiki-sama is such a forgiving person. Had it been me, I would have you executed by now," she snapped coldly, drawing out a rapier that had been in a hilt at her waist.

Rei laughed in amusement, noting that the sword was simply a well-crafted, and probably extremely expensive handmade sword-its abilities probably far below that of a weak zanpaktou even. "And on what basis would he have me executed on? Talking back to a noble? I didn't know that such a rule existed in Soul Society," she said calmly. The irate expression on the blonde's face simply grew larger.

"You're pushing my patience and generosity," she growled, raising her rapier. Rei's face grew hard.

"And you're simply asking for it," was her cold reply, struggling to control her rapidly rising anger, and reminding herself that it would be much more fun to embarrass her than to simply injure her. The blonde's eyes narrowed, as she began her attack. Her grip tightened on the hilt, knuckles white from the pressure. She drew the weapon fast, in a quick slash. Rei jumped aside, avoiding the blow with ease, landing lightly on her feet. The blond tsk-ed at Rei, lunging at her with her sword swinging wildly.

"I'm surprised they haven't already banned her from using a sword, due to that being a health hazard," Rei mumbled under her breath, dodging each attempt lazily, reading her counterpart's movements with ease.

"Your movements are too obvious, too crude," Rei snapped, irritated by how obvious she was being.

"Urusei!" she growled, eyebrows furrowing all the more.

"Stop being so idiotic would you? It just makes it all the more easier for the opponent to defeat you!" Rei groaned, ducking under a wild swing before jumping up, landing lightly on her opponent's outstretched sword. Rei smirked, her legs pushing down on the blunt edge of the rapier. She propelled herself into a quick flip, landing silently behind the blond.

"And you'd be dead now, had I been intending to kill you," Rei stated matter of flatly. Her arm was wrapped firmly around the blond girl's neck. The blond choked, gasping for air. Rei released her hold on her, jumping back and drawing her zanpaktou.

"Let's see what happens when I actually intend to."

Kuchiki Byakuya made a mental note to tell his fukutaichou not to take in any new Shinigami this year if it were possible, as he made his way among the pairs. Frankly, the university's standard had gone down. There were a few that were up to standard, but the others shouldn't even be allowed to reach the last year, let alone graduate. This unfairness, he knew, was due to the fact that they were nobles, and would probably get accepted in to Gotei 13, and become seated members of the divisions eventually no matter how lacking in skills they were. However, as head of one of the four great noble houses, he wasn't about to point that out.

He couldn't help noticing that the brown haired girl who had forced her friend to apologize was rather decent, and he watched with slight interest as she and her partner moved back and forth, taking to turns to block and attack. At least, she had mastered a zanpaktou.

However, his expression soon turned to a frowning one as he heard the girl who had been sleeping lecture her partner. "Your movements are too obvious, too crude," he heard her clear voice say in an irritated tone. Granted, her observation was correct-her partner was really being extremely obvious, but he couldn't help thinking that she was getting too smug for her own good. Of course, in reality, he was just getting revenge for her disrespect-not that he would ever admit that of course. He watched as she locked an arm around her opponent's throat. It was probably about time he stepped in, especially since he recognized the blond girl as a noble. Of which house however, he wasn't too sure. Flash-stepping behind her, he drew Senbonzakura, preparing to align her (Senbonzakura) tip to the back of the brunette's neck.

Rei was about to release the frantically thrashing girl in her grip when her senses almost screamed that there was danger behind her. Releasing the blonde, she drew her zanpaktou from its hilt, and swung it behind to meet her attacker in a single, smooth move. A clang that could only be produced by the clash of zanpaktou against zanpaktou resounded across the field, confirming Rei's suspicions.

This was one of the first few times that he had ever been surprised before. The Kuchiki captain tightened his grip on his zanpaktou just in time. Had he not, her blow would have sent his zanpaktou spiraling out of his hands. He watched her violet eyes widen in realization, before a poker expression wiped clean all emotions on her face. "I know how much you nobles hate 'Rukongai filth', but I never thought that a captain would sink this low," she remarked blithely. He could feel his brows narrowing, but he stifled his emotions.

"You need a lesson on humbleness, and as your sensei, I am more than fit to teach it," he countered, as he focused more strength on his zanpaktou. He could feel her brace herself slightly, digging her heels into the ground as she slid back an inch. No matter how skilled she was, she was a female, and considerably younger than him. It would be impossible for her to match his strength.

"How can you teach when you yourself have broken one of the most basic rules of civility in combat?" she asked through gritted teeth. He tried to think of a reply, but no fluent words came to mind, and his eyes widened as he realized two things at that moment. -That for what felt like the first time in his life, he was surprisingly speechless and that she wasn't bleeding or injured despite the fact that both of that both of them had stopped competing with pure physical strength, but were beginning to fall back to relying solely on reiratsu.

He realized that she was staring at him questioningly and abruptly wiped off any trace of surprise of his face, as he braced himself, and suddenly increased the amount of reiratsu he was pouring in, and Senbonzakura begin to emanate a soft yet powerful pink glow. He saw her violet eyes widen as she bit her lip, forcing all the reiratsu she could muster without overexerting herself to the point of unconsciousness.

He applauded her attempt, but she had lost already, and he could see it, as his reiratsu grew to surround him, and sent her crashing painfully into a tree behind her.

Rei's chest rose and fell rapidly, betraying her fatigue, as she attempted to calm her breathing. She felt vaguely faint, and she could feel the familiar telltale signs of injury, as her head begin to throb, the metallic taste of blood invading her mouth. Her visions begin to blur slightly, but she shook her head forcefully and it cleared a little. She could see Yura rushing towards her.

"Kami-sama! Are you alive?" Yura asked worriedly, rushing to her friend, whose clothes were beginning to be soaked in blood. Rei flashed a weak smile.

"Yes, I'm alive. Barely though, I think," she murmured, struggling to regain control of her limbs that felt numb, aching and heavy.

Byakuya watched, cursing himself mentally for losing control. After all, had she been an official Shinigami, he wouldn't have cared two hoots, but she was only a student, and furthermore, he was supposed to be her sensei. He had lost control of himself, and he knew that he was 2 seconds away from using his shikai on her. He owed her an apology at the very least. Yet the phrase easier said than done never felt truer than now. As much as his conscience prompted him to apologize, he simply could not bring himself to open his noble mouth.

Kuchiki Byakuya watched the pair begin to move slowly, Yura almost stumbling as Rei's legs decided to give way. A small feeling similar to what he had felt when he had gone after Rukia begin to spread in his heart, like ink on a clean paper. He knew what he had done- he had almost used his shikai on her, due to his frustration at being stumped. Few people could leave him speechless, and her having done so somehow just maddened him. Not to mention her cold accusations, that for some reason seemed to sting him.

"Where's the sick bay?" he asked suddenly, causing the student next to him, who had been watching the progress of the pair to jump in fright.

"Eto… It's at the other end of the school," he stuttered, his fingers fidgeting nervously under the piercing gaze of the captain. The sentence only acted as a catalyst for his guilt, as he watched the two of them- his students to be exact, walk slowly in the direction of the main building.

Rei felt her legs buckle in, and for a moment she thought that they had finally given in on her. That is, until, she felt strong hands supporting under her back and her knee, holding her against a muscular, well-built chest. The smell of cherry blossoms (A/N: do cherry blossoms even HAVE a smell?). A bad guttural feeling overrode her pain for a moment, as some feminine instinct gave her a pretty good idea whose arms she was lying in. Slowly, Rei forced herself to look upwards, as her violet eyes met lightning blue ones. Rei let out a surprised yelp, and would have fallen had her sensei not instinctively tightened his grip on her, pulling her even closer against him. Rei's face almost turned as red as the blood that was falling from her wounds. Before she could even give Yura a pleading look, he shunpoed into the main building of the academy, almost giving Rei a heart attack.

Byakuya shrugged off the stares he was receiving from the other students and teachers, as he made his way through the hallway, his student carried bridal style in his arms. His last glance had showed him that her cheeks were a red that could not be attributed to her injuries alone. If he had his way, he would have shunpoed, but as things were, he simply could not due to-various reasons. Thus, the two of them made their way down the halls, completely silent, until-

"You don't know where the sick bay is, do you?" Rei asked quietly. Her voice, although soft, had a clear intonation of amusement as he violet eyes eyed him. She was rewarded with an icy piercing glare before the Kuchiki Captain finally gave a non-committal grunt, unwilling to give verbal agreement that for once, he did not know something. Rei would have been shaking with laughter had she not been overcome by a sudden wave of pain.

"It's at the same block as the students' dormitory, at the 3rd floor," she bit out laughingly before closing her eyes and shuddering slightly at the pain coursing through her veins.

Had it been anyone lesser, they would have a large pout, or clear irritation and embarrassment showing on their face. But being a Kuchiki, that was the exact expression he was attempting to keep off his face. However, whether he was succeeding at it was another matter entirely, thus explaining the small grimace on his features.

Now knowing exactly where the sick bay was, he shunpoed there with ease, reaching it in record time, nearly causing the death of a poor nurse who had been about to go out for a coffee break. As he crossed over to an unoccupied bed, Rei braced herself for the impact that would come when he dropped her roughly onto the bed, as experience with being piggy-backed by her older brother showed. Yet, she was surprised when none came, as he lowered her with a gentleness she never thought him capable of possessing. She watched him converse in monotonous tones with the nurse who was one second away from swooning. Despite her pain, her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and the smell of the medicines and herbs in the sick bay seemed to have a hypnotic effect on her and to her surprise and relief, she found her eyelids slowly shutting.

The Kuchiki captain was surprised to see that she was already on the verge of falling asleep. He eyed her small figure for a moment, wondering how someone could be so relaxed. Turning his gaze away, he was about to leave when he felt a soft touch on his arm that froze him and caused his muscles to tense immediately. The small physical contact gave him slight shivers, and he felt as if his skin had been peeled away to reveal a layer that burnt at anyone's slight touch. It had been a long time since he had been touched by a person skin on skin and the unfamiliarity of the feeling scared him.

"Arigatou, Kuchiki sensei," her sleep laced voice mumbled as her hand slid off his to dangle limply from the bed. He pursed his lips, his light blue eyes lingering on her sleepy yet contented face for a while more before striding out. Although he neither showed nor recognized it, there was a small feeling of warmth blooming in his heart, like sunlight breaking through the thick and cold layer that he had shrouded his heart in for so long.

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how was it? review okays! 


	3. This game we play

hellos:D thanks to those who have reviewed! I'm afraid that my rating has to go up due to this chapter, because according to my friends its LIME. But i don't really think so. Still, i think its not unlike Rei to play a game like this, and i hope it doesn't turn you off : anyway. I think i made Byakuya somewhat OOC but i dunno review and tell me about it!

Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me, if not there would be NO inouexIchigo moments, Ichigo and Rukia would get married, and HISANA would not have died. X(

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"Kami-sama! Rei's dead!" was the first coherent sentence that Rei deciphered when she woke up. Not the best wake up call really.

"Don't be an idiot Frans, it just means she's up," a rather irritated, matter-of-fact voice explained. Rei couldn't help wondering if she was really dead, and what form she was in. She couldn't be a soul. She would have to be a dead soul. Then that would mean that she would be in Hueco Mundo, or somewhere like…a soul society for dead souls. The dead soul society. That made sense. But didn't her sensei mention something about souls being recycled or something? All the thinking was making her head hurt.

"Up? Up where? Dead soul heaven? Hueco Mundo?" the same frantic ignorant voice asked. This new show of ignorance was greeted by a soft titter and a rather painful sounding whack.

"She's AWAKE you ahou," the irritated voice explained snapped, and before Rei could further comprehend the possible implications of that sentence, her eyelids were forced open, and extremely glaring light flooded into her aching head. Rei winced; screwing her eyes shut tight, swearing under her breath.

"You were right Yura. Rei can really be extremely… creative," and extremely surprised voice remarked, along with the sound of coins clinking.

"YURA! You DON'T do that to a sick person!" Rei snapped, still unwilling to open her eyes to the bright lights. But in her mind, she knew that her friend would have a self-satisfied smirk plastered on her face.

"Funny. I never knew sick people could swear so colorfully," Yura mused.

"That's because most sick people do not have their best friends running up to the sick bay and PRYING their eyelids open!" Rei grimaced, carefully opening her eyes a little at a time. Her vision blurred for a moment before focusing again on her three friends.

"Oh my gosh, thank goodness you're ok," the busty blond said with a wide smile, before engulfing Rei in a strangling embrace.

"Frans-you're strangling me," Rei choked, gesturing towards Yura for help. The green eyed girl rolled her eyes before helping to release Rei from Frans grip.

"How long have I been asleep?" Rei asked, fingering her bandages gingerly and curiously.

"Oh, about a week," Yuriko, the quieter of the four of them remarked, glancing at her watch. Rei frowned at her casual answer, scrutinizing her for a while before a pout formed on her lips.

"Aren't you glad to see me alive?" Rei whined slightly, eyeing Yuriko with puppy eyes, and a more than adorable pout. Yuriko gave a small laugh.

"Yes I'm glad. You can stop pulling that expression on me now. You know that I'm powerless against it," Yuriko said with a smile, as Yura scoffed and Rei stuck out her tongue at her.

"So, are you joining us for lesson?" Yura asked, helping herself to a grape from a nearby basket of fruits.

"What lesson is it now?" Rei asked curiously, attempting to remove her bandage that was beginning to itch.

Frans pondered for awhile before her pupils nearly turned into heart shapes and she swooned. "Kuchiki-Taichou, I'm guessing," Yura said wryly. A smirk that could only be described as sly formed itself on Rei's lips.

"I don't see why not," Rei smirked while Yura grumbled about brainless best friends, proving her vocabulary to be about as colorful as Rei's was.

"People-Shinigami especially, do not rush into battle without a plan and expect to sur-"The Kuchiki captain paused, interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said coolly, fighting to keep the irritation off his face. Teaching was bad enough, without being interrupted. The door swung open, and Rei, Frans, Yura and Yuriko entered. His expression relaxed slightly upon seeing Rei enter.

"Konichiwa Kuchiki Sensei," the four girls chorused before heading to the middle where there were a row of empty seats. Rei couldn't help noting that he was wearing his Taichou robes. "Doesn't he have any other clothes?" Rei mused under her breath.

Yura grinned. "Apparently not," was her amused reply as the four of them slid into their seats.

Twenty minutes later found Rei staring disinterestedly at the Kuchiki captain as he sketched out diagrams of tactics on the blackboard. Rei's brows furrowed slightly. Were her eyes playing tricks on her, or was she the only one in the class who realized that their sensei's drawings resembled chappy's and bears. Then again, why would any one else notice since the other girls were too busy watching him, and the boys were too busy scowling at the girls watching him.

"Ne, ne, Frans, do you want to play a game?" Rei asked, poking her dreamy friend in the ribs with her elbow. The blonde gave a small yelp and pouted at Rei, rubbing her ribs.

"Nani? You should be paying attention to Kuchiki sensei," she sighed, looking even dreamier than before.

"I AM paying attention. I just need something else to do in the mean time, so play a game with me!" Rei said cheerfully, tugging at her friend's arm. Frans gave a mournful sigh, tearing her gaze from the noble.

"Alright, I give. What game do you want to play?" Frans asked reluctantly, watching their sensei out of the corner of her eye.

Rei grinned, waggling her eyebrows. "Oh you know, that," she smirked. Frans frowned for a while before the same smile lit her face.

"First one to...a hundred?" Rei paused, glancing at her teacher. "Oh, and Kuchiki sensei's worth 50," Rei decided with a smile.

Frans grinned. "You're on."

Kuchiki Byakuya was not the most observant person alive, but it was difficult not to realize the sudden increase in distracted, drooling boys. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he continued teaching, his eyes occasionally scanning through the students.

"You two are playing that game again, aren't you?" Yura asked, interrupting Rei who was in mid-stretch, and Frans who had conveniently rested her prominent assets in her hands. Said girls caught each other's eye before grinning and putting on an expression of artfully contrived innocence.

"I'll take that as a yes," Yura guessed, rolling her eyes before a small smile crossed her lips.

"Who's winning?" she asked with a somewhat sheepish grin on her face.

"Rei has forty-eight, Frans has forty-three," Yuriko informed, checking her notepad where she had two long lists of boys' names.

"Funny. You would think Frans would be ahead, judging by her advantage," Yura remarked, eyeing said body part.

"Yes well, it seems, Rei makes better use of what she has," Yuriko mused, watching as the brunette crossed and re-crossed her legs, her skirt hitching higher each round as she absently trailed a delicate finger up and down her thigh, her skirt progressively revealing more and more skin as she continued tracing patterns on her thigh. There was an audible groan as one of the eyes of the boys sitting behind Rei rolled to the back of his head, and he slumped to the table.

"Make that forty-nine," Rei said with a foxy wink, tugging her skirt back down.

"I'll agree with you on that point," Yura nodded. "This girl can wind any boy around her finger if she wants to,"

Rei laughed at the thought. "Well. It just so happens that boys in soul form happen to have a much more active imagination, and I would so hate to deprive them of a catalyst for their imagination." She stated with a grin before returning her attention to her work for a moment, chewing on the tip of her pencil. After a moment, there was another soft groan and another boy slumped forward onto his table, cheeks red.

"Good one Frans," Rei remarked absently, her soft pink lips still massaging the tip of her pencil.

"That wasn't mine," a frowning Frans contradicted, looking up from her notes. Rei raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That was yours Rei," Yuriko remarked casually, not looking up from her notebook in which her pen was rapidly flying over.

"But I wasn't doing anything," Rei protested, biting down on her pencil, chewing and sucking yet again. There was another soft thumping sound as a drooling student buried his head in his arms. Rei turned around, clearly surprised and more confused than ever.

Yura rolled her eyes, stretching her hand across Yuriko and yanking Rei's pencil from her grasp. "Kami-sama, for the sake of the sanity of all the guys in our class, get that pencil out of your mouth."

"What does my nibbling my pencil have to do with anything?" Rei asked, grabbing her pencil back, but no longer returning it to her mouth. "Oh yeah, which makes it fifty one to forty five," Rei added with a grin.

"But you didn't get them because you were trying too," Frans protested.

"Still, they did react. Alls fair in love, war and flirtation," Rei retorted, sticking out her tongue, about the chew on her pencil again, when she remembered, and hurriedly put it down.

"But why? I don't get it Yura," she asked, brows furrowed.

Yura rolled her eyes, more than a little exasperated. "Because they start looking at your lips when you do that, and considering everything ELSE you've been doing for the past half an hour," Rei gave Yura a sheepish look, "They start, well- I don't know, imagining you doing it to them," Yura ended, cheeks slightly red and flustered.

"Doing what to them? How can I do that to them? A pencil is sharp and long and humans don't have body parts tha…-oh." Rei trailed off, an embarrassed yet knowing look on her face, her cheeks hot.

Kuchiki Byakuya had been scanning through the students for awhile before he caught sight of a blonde that greatly resembled Matsumoto winking at a student two rows down, and toying with her hair. Had he been anyone else, he would have snorted. Big assets didn't get too surprising or attractive after you knew Matsumoto long enough; you just get use to it. His gaze trailed down to Rei, who, although still had a bandage on, seemed to be well enough to attend class. He was about to move on when he found himself frowning for some reason at the way she was chewing her pencil. Really, there was nothing out of the ordinary about chewing on one's pencil. His brows furrowed. Then why was the student behind her slumping and drooling? And why was he thinking about her lips? He scrutinized her pinkish lips as they sucked delicately at the tip of the pencil, as if it were a sweet of some kind, as his eyes trailed over her face.

She looked up suddenly, her violet eyes meeting his, and dancing with amusement as she winked at him. Moving slowly, she put down her pencil and proceeded to stretch her muscles slowly, working out the kinks in her muscles while simultaneously giving her sensei and male classmates a rather interesting view as she stretched her slender and creamy skinned arms in front of her, her shirt hitching up slightly, revealing a little of her flat stomach and tightening around her front. Her back arched slightly, a small dreamy smile of enjoyment on her face.

There was another muffled bang as yet another boy bit the dust. A look of surprise crossed her face before it was replaced with a satisfied smile grin. For some reason that he would never find out in his whole entire life, Byakuya found himself swallowing slightly, his cheeks go warm for the first time in many years. He bit his tongue in an attempt to control the spreading blush, but it had absolutely no impact whatsoever. There was definitely something wrong with him today. Why was he blushing? He had absolutely no reason to blush. After all, she wasn't extremely pretty, and she was a student. HIS student as a matter of fact, and further more, she was just stretching. He reasoned, as logically and dryly as ever. "In a way that more than emphasizes her feminine attributes, and makes her look even more sensual than her Matsumoto-like friend over there," a voice in his head whispered slyly. The Kuchiki captain gritted his teeth, wrestling with the voice and attempting to force it to the back of his head.

"There's no use fighting me, after all I'm you. Besides, there's really nothing wrong with you learning how to appreciate a feminine form all over again," the voice replied in a smirk. The sixth division captain made a mental note to check that his morning tea had not been drugged.

Despite her feeling slightly grossed out and embarrassed over Yura's reference, Rei wasn't one who lost so easily, and besides, she had to get her revenge for him knocking her up so badly and getting her stuck in the hospital for a week. Especially since she had a pile of homework in her dorm that seemed to be competing with Mount Fuji for the tallest mountain in Japan. And now that he was staring at her, she may as well take her chances. Although, she had no idea how it would turn out, she had a gut feeling doing so would end rather amusingly. Winking at him, she begin to stretch slowly, seeing as her muscles did need to be worked out, and that crossing her legs would do no good as they were blocked from his view by her table. She was about to pretend to drop her pencil, and bend down, presenting a rather interesting view of her gluteus maximus, when-

"As I was saying, big bo-"Rei's eyes widened to about as wide as saucers, almost the same size of her sensei's as the two of them realized what he had almost just said. "And was that a tint of red she saw on his cheeks?" Rei pondered, doubled over and shaking with laughter. He coughed awkwardly.

"Big moves," he corrected, "do not always ensure victory, and are only more predictable," he finished, regaining his usual monotone, although his cheeks still held a tint of red. He would get his revenge on her for causing this embarrassment, especially after how he had helped her to the sick bay. But then again, he had been responsible for her need to go into the sick bay in the first place. He grumbled silently. He would have to talk to General Yamamoto soon about ending his duties earlier. Still, he was mystified. Kuchiki's usually did not make mistakes. Not even little slips of the tongue. Yet here he was, acting like a tongue-tied, lovesick boy. Not that he was one- he couldn't be. He was a Kuchiki.

"So whose point did that count as?" Rei asked Yuriko, as the studious girl looked up from her notebook, a ghost of a smile on her lips as well. Apparently she too had realized what their sensei had almost said.

"Rei's" Yuriko said calmly, as the small girl cheered, pumping her fist slightly while Fran pouted.

"Ne, Yuriko you're being biased! He was going to say big boobs," Frans said with a small grin.

"I'll have to agree there. I heard his slip rather clearly," Yura added with a smirk, leaning towards them.

"Yes, demo, if you take it as a full sentence, he would have said that big boobs do not always ensure victory. And since, he seems to have an idea of the game we're playing. Well, you two, not really us," she corrected, "It seems that Rei has won." Yuriko concluded scientifically.

"Yatta!" Rei cheered happily. Fran faked a pout, but smiled. Letting Rei win once was worth it, especially since she doubted anyone else had managed to embarrass their sensei before.

"Which makes it, a total win of 3 rounds for Rei, and 2 for Fran," Yura announced, reading the notes in Yuriko's book, as the bell announcing the end of lessons for the day chimed.

"Class dismissed. You may leave, except for Rei Kusaka," their sensei's monotonous voice intoned. Rei raised an eyebrow. Although her stomach had begun to churn, she wasn't going to show her nervousness. She made her way down the stairs towards her sensei slowly, swallowing slightly at his piercing gaze. She had a feeling she was about to pay for his mistake.

"I understand the fact that my lessons are not exactly the most interesting things on earth, and that you might occasionally find the need to do something else to pass the time," Rei winced at his icy tone, "but as attractive as your assets can be, I would appreciate it if you would stop playing your small game, for the sake of the mental health of the males in this classroom," he snapped, before silently rebuking himself for making his second mistake. Rei's lips curled upwards at his words, but she decided that he had suffered enough for the day.

"Hai, sensei," she said cheerfully, stifling her laughter.

"You may go," he dismissed formally, as she joined her friends, who had been listening from a distance. The four rushed out, and the moment they were out of earshot, loud, clear laughter rang throughout the hallways as they giggled, shaking with laughter.

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How is it? Review and tell me kaes, ESPECIALLY if you find Byakuya REALLY OOC 


	4. taichous meeting and practice training

hey'all! Here's the fourth chapter, up. Please review and tell me if Bya is getting OOC ok! Because i really don't want it to happen :(

Disclaimer: No. i don't own bleach. How many MORE times must i say it?

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"Ohayo, Byakuya-Sensei," a husky voice greeted playfully. No surprise registered on said Taichou's face, as he continued down the hall of the sixth division building.

"Shihouin-sama," he greeted in cold politeness, not breaking as stride, having sensed her reiratsu from far off. She gave a small pout, dropping lightly to her feet from a nearby rooftop.

"It's Yoruichi," she corrected. "Hard to believe my Byakuya-bo is all grown up and becoming a sensei," she teased, a slight grin on her face.

"I grew up a long time ago. And judging by your remarks, I assume you've heard about my favor to General Yamamoto," he replied coldly. The tanned and lithe female next to him raised an eyebrow.

"Someone's in a bad mood today," Yoruichi remarked blithely. "But seriously, how's being a sensei? I hear that you've met with some rather interesting events," she smirked. The Kuchiki raised a finely shaped eyebrow.

"Oh?" he asked calmly. "I suppose you have spies in the Shinigami academy as well?" he remarked, his tone lightly sarcastic.

"No. It's a relative actually. My second cousin's daughter in fact- she's in your class, sensei. And according to her, you seem to be having careless… accidents," she hinted.

"I don't see how it's any of your concern," he sniffed haughtily in a tone that only she could tell that he was offended.

"Of course not. It never is. So, who exactly is the lucky student who managed to cause it? Even I have never managed to do so ever since we passed 500 years of age. I heard it was a girl. And quite a good looking one too," Yoruichi prodded as the two of them turned round the corridor. The Kuchiki pursed his lips, a stubborn and offended look on his face. Yoruichi smirked at her victory, about to further tease him when-

"Eto. Kuchiki Taichou, General Commander Yamamoto wants to see ya, along with all the other taichous," a rough voice called as his red head fukutaichou appeared in front of him, a hell butterfly on his finger.

"Did he specify where?" he asked coolly, silently glad for a distraction. The fukutaichou shrugged.

"Dunno. He said he'll meet y'all at the usual place. Wherever that may be," he replied carelessly.

"Very well, I understand. Thank you for the message, you may go," he ordered formally. Renji gave a small bow before leaving.

"I'm sure you heard the general's orders. If you would excuse me," he stated hurriedly before flash stepping off, a clear feeling of relief spreading throughout his heart. Not that he would ever admit it. A somewhat irked, yet overall rather amused Yoruichi watched him.

"You never could stand much teasing, Bya-bo," she whispered lightly, watching his departing form.

"General Yamamoto," he greeted in a business like tone, entering the room where the old general was seated, along with the other captains from the various division. The usually aloof captain frowned slightly. There had to be something rather important and urgent going on for the general to have seen the necessity to call a meeting with all the captains.

"Is everybody present?" the general asked in dry tones. Soifon's eyes scanned the room, doing a silent check before nodding her head as the captains formed two lines.

Yamamoto's dark and vigilant eyes scanned the rows for a moment before he started speaking. "Our ranks have been left with gaps for too long. It is about time we filled them with people worthy of the position. The nominations among the capable candidates for Taichou are already in. The two highest ranking candidates are Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki. Ikkaku who would have joined them as a captain, has, unfortunately, rejected the offer, with the reason of wanting to remain in the eleventh division," the general paused at this point to eye a grinning Zaraki.

"Hence of now, we will initiate only Renji Abarai and Kurosaki Ichigo as captains of the fifth and third division respectively. Does any one here have any violent objections?" he asked, glancing down the row of impassive faces.

"Very well then. They will be informed of their new positions, and initiated in a month's time. As to the sixth division lacking a lieutenant, feel free to choose one any time you wish, Captain Kuchiki," Yamamoto addressed. The Kuchiki inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"There is another reason why all of us are gathered here. Many of you might have heard from your subordinates by now that there has been a large increase in the number of hollows that have been appearing in the human world. This has been causing a growing amount of problems, like shortage of Shinigami available to deal with the situation, as well as a growing number of un-repairable damage to the human world. As such, the bonds separating Hueco Mundo, soul society and the human world are getting weaker daily, and soon, humans might accidentally pass through the bonds, and end up at soul society without having died. It also means that some Shinigami have ended up trapped at the human world for more than a week, due to the inability to open a stable portal. This gives us reason to suspect that Aizen is busy at work, trying to inconvenience us. Thus, it is about time that Sereitei start to better prepare itself. As captains, all of you have to keep a tighter watch over your members, training them harder, to become better, more capable Shinigami. And keep an eye on each other, for there might still be traitors in our midst, whose loyalty does not belong to Gotei 13," Yamamoto finished harshly, causing a few suspicious glances among the captains.

"Kurotsuchi Taichou has been researching into the cause behind the instability of the bonds, but so far, nothing substantial has been produced," this got a haughty sniff from the 12th division captain. "Thus, we can only wait. But in the meantime, I hope, as captains, you will do your best to strengthen Gotei 13. Is that understood?" A murmur of assent from the captains greeted this question.

"If there are no other issues any of you wish to raise, all of you are dismissed except for Kuchiki Taichou," he dismissed as the captain's filed out of the room silently.

"Is anything the matter?" The Kuchiki captain asked politely, grey eyes fixing on the old general.

"How has your job as sensei been going? I hope that the students have not been causing you too much trouble," Yamamoto asked kindly. Said captain bit his cheek, preventing himself from grimacing as a brunette with violet eyes with her arms extended in a stretch over her head, as well as a sly grin on her face appeared in his mind.

"Decent. Is anything wrong?" he asked.

"Again, I have to thank you for accepting the job as a temporary sensei. Had you not accepted it, I'm afraid I would have had to turn to Captain Zaraki. And at the risk of sounding cliché, I just have to say that although you are only a temporary sensei, the students that you are teaching will grow up to become Shinigami of the Gotei 13 one day. Hence, even though you're only a temporary teacher, it is important that you teach them to the best of your ability," the general ended, watching his face for any reaction.

"Understood," he replied smoothly, ignoring the fact that his brain was protesting loudly about the fact that no amount of training would be able to turn them into proper Shinigami.

"One last thing- Recently, a seated officer from my division heard two hollows conversing about attacking an area tonight, which coincides with the trip to the human world that your class is in charge of. Their detailed knowledge of exactly where to strike is not a reassuring fact, but there is a chance that my subordinate might have been mistaken. But since they are the top class graduating, it will be a good test to see how many of them are ready to take up the job of Shinigami. All the same, I request that you be ready to aide them."

Had he been any less dignified, Kuchiki Byakuya would have snorted in amusement. Really, there was absolutely no one in his class whose reiratsu was strong enough to pose a threat to Aizen.

"If that is your command, it shall be followed," he replied simply before turning on his heel and leaving.

"All of you will pair up in groups of three with the people who are holding a card with a similar marking as yours. We'll give you five minutes to get into your groups before we leave," Rei announced to their excitedly chattering juniors.

"I distinctly remember being considerably less noisy than them when I was in my first year," Yura remarked, eyeing them with slight distaste, Rei grinned.

"Give it a rest. You may have been a teachers pet, but I distinctly remember being twice as noisy. Besides, the boys can't be blamed, especially with Frans here," Rei teased, nudging the blonde.

"Thanks for the compliment. But honestly, it seems only yesterday that we were among them," Frans remarked with a nostalgic sigh.

"Yeah, and I had just become friends with Yura after having released a frog into her bag by accident. How she screamed," Rei teased a scowling Yura.

"Enough with the flashbacks. Let's go!" Yura shouted, beckoning the first years towards the open portal.

That was considerably rougher than usual," Yuriko remarked with a grimace, rubbing her arm where a purple bruise was beginning to blossom.

"Is everyone ok?" Rei asked the first years that were looking distinctly shaken. There was a mumble of assent, but Rei gave Yura a doubtful glance.

"I don't know. I heard from nii-san that there were some problems regarding the bonds separating the worlds, but I didn't think it would be that bad," Yura added thoughtfully.

"Let's just hope it doesn't affect tonight's practice," Frans reminded, crossing her arms and eyeing the dark and isolated area they were in.

"Barrier team! Is everything reinforced?" Rei asked into the mike that winded around her neck.

"Yosh! They can start!" a voice somewhat muffled by static echoed from the mike.

"Excellent! Hajime!" Rei shouted, as the first years scattered off amidst excited and nervous chatters. The four girls watched till the last group had left the area.

"Looks like its patrol duty for us," Frans said wryly, pairing up with Yuriko.

"We'll take the North I guess," Yura decided, looking at Rei for approval. Rei shrugged.

"Honestly, I would rather stay here, but I doubt we can." She sighed.

"South for us then," Frans declared, as they gave a small eave before splitting up.

"Kidou 31, red destructive canon!" Rei shouted, sending a powerful bright blast in the direction of the rather disgusting looking hollow which let out an ear piercing screech upon contact and disappeared.

"Why do they even call this the first class?" Yura asked, jumping up and slicing clearly through another hollow before landing on her feet lightly.

"Arigatou senpai," the wide-eyed and trembling junior stuttered, her sword nearly falling from her trembling hand.

"No problem, but you had better pay more attention during combat classes." Rei reminded.

"You and your group had better head back to the gather area. We're heading back to soul society soon," Yura added as the girl gave a small bow and ran off.

"Good point. We should probably head back. Barrier team! Do you hear me? Start packing up, we'll be leaving soon," Rei announced.

"Wakatta, we'll be-"a piercing scream effectively cut of their classmate in mid-sentence. Fear flashed clearly through Rei's eyes.

"Let's go quickly! They're going to need all the help they can get," Yura urged, as the pair broke into a run, sprinting towards the outskirts of the practice area.

"Frans! We have a problem at the barrier! Get the juniors back to Sereitei before meeting us at the barrier!" Rei shouted into her head mike as she leaped over a pile of rubble.

"Hai! Demo, what's going on?" Frans asked, clearly confused.

"I don't know, but it's not-"Rei paused, her eyes widening as she and Yura stopped in front of the barrier. "Good."

"Kami-sama," Yura whispered, unsheathing her zanpaktou with slightly unsteady hands, as her eyes took in the blood and screams.

"Soul society? This is Rei Kusaka, IC of the practice expedition for the first class. We've met some problems, yes, we're at area 7619, location 1486," Rei informed in a somewhat wavering voice as she took in the large monster standing before them.

"Please come quickly," she urged before turning the head set off and eyeing the large hollow whose yellow claws were dripping with her classmate's blood. She shuddered slightly as she watched large drops of saliva trickle towards the ground as fear, anger and adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"That is fricking huge for a hollow!" Frans reverent voice, accompanied with footsteps remarked.

"Everybody, gather here!" Yura shouted as their classmates moved to form a circle around the injured while Yuriko got to work healing.

"Those specializing in Kidou join the inner row! Those in combat form the outer row!" Rei yelled as she rushed to join the front line, as the hollow gave a wild swipe with its huge arm, knocking down a few nearby buildings with a roar. Gritting her teeth, Rei joined the first wave of students running towards the hollow, Yura and Frans beside her, as they dodged a swipe and managed to cut his arm. The monster gave an ear piercing shriek, tossing his head back in fury, before releasing a blast of foul smelling liquid from his mouth, causing burns on a few unlucky students who had not managed to get out of the way in time.

"Hadou 33, bind!" Rei heard Yuriko's voice amidst those who specialized in Kidou at the academy as a powerful burst of white light passed them, hitting the monster squarely on the chest and efficiently binding him.

"Let's go!" Yura shouted, directing the rest of the students, who ran towards the hollow.

"Watch his mouth!" Rei reminded as she hurriedly cast a shield which reflected the sticky liquid while Frans hurriedly picked up a nearby rope, and with the help of a few other students, tossed it around the monsters mouth like a lasso, and pulled it shut.

Letting out a wild cry, Yura did a flip onto the monsters back before slicing cleanly thorough his mask, and efficiently ending it's life. The hollow writhed in pain before dissipating into dust.

"Yatta!" Rei cheered, pumping her fist and high-fiving Frans.

"Uh guys, I hate to be a spoilsport, but I highly doubt our work is done," Yuriko's quiet voice remarked, and was immediately followed by a few horrible roars.

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	5. saved

HELLOS! I wrote this quite long ago, but i'm only posting it now. Three chapters in a day

xD

I DONT OWN BLEACH! only Rei and a few others.

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_"Uh guys, I hate to be a spoilsport, but I highly doubt our work is done," Yuriko's quiet voice remarked, and was immediately followed by a few horrible roars. _

One ear splitting roar after another washed over them as from the shadows, heavy footsteps could be heard, revealing more than a dozen huge hollows surrounding them. Yura and Rei swore colorfully in unison while Frans hurriedly covered Yuriko's ears.

"Soul society, this is Rei Kusaka! We REALLY need help!" Rei screeched into her headset, only to be interrupted by a hard and swift swipe by sharp claws that cut into her stomach and sent her flying into a nearby building.

"Rei!" Yura exclaimed, running towards her wounded friend, only to be blocked by a large arm, which she sliced though easily.

"Relax! Other than being extremely pissed, I'm fine!" Rei's faint voice shouted though clenched teeth as she dug her zanpaktou into the ground, resting her weight on it, and clutching a bleeding stomach with her other hand. The same hollow that had injured her let out a blood lusty roar and an evil laugh, licking its purple lips with an abnormally long tongue and advanced towards Rei in a loping crawl.

"Blood," it's roughened and maniacal voice hissed in a way that sent small chills down her spine.

"You Bloody bad mannered bastard," Rei spat in fury, stretching out a hand. "Kidou !" her clear voice shouted as a burst of blue light left her hand, sending the monster stumbling back a few steps before he resumed his advance, letting out an amused chuckle.

"Is that all you've got? Aizen was right. You Shinigami are getting weaker these days." It growled.

"Aizen's a bastard and a betrayer," Rei snapped, gripping her zanpaktou with both hands and lowering into a defensive stance as the hollow launched itself at her, its claws producing a horrible screeching sound as it clashed with her sword. The pair struggled with physical strength for a moment, when a suffocatingly strong reiratsu presence knocked a surprised Rei to her knees.

"Scatter!" a calm voice commanded, as the students watched as more than a thousand shards of what looked like cherry blossom petals appeared, and in split seconds, incised the numerous hollows with ease. Rei took a few stumbling steps backwards as the Hollow in front of her let out an anguished moan and slumped to the ground, disappearing slowly. Amidst the collapsing and disappearing Hollows, a tall and muscular figure stood, his zanpaktou already sheathed and an impassive expression on his face, his grey eyes boredly taking in his students.

"Kuchiki sensei! I knew that you would come to save us!" A high-pitcher voice squealed before bursting into anguished wails as the strawberry blonde noble ran towards the cold and striking figure. Yura snorted.

"Looks like even danger couldn't cure her bimbotism," Yura remarked snidely, picking her way through the rubble towards Rei.

"Looks like even danger doesn't cure you of your sarcasm," Rei fired back with ease as she leaned against what used to be an office building.

"Looks like both danger and injury doesn't cure the two of you of your competitiveness," Frans joined with a grin as she leaped over a half destroyed lamp post.

"Looks like danger, injury and the presence of a sensei doesn't cure anyone of us of our wit," Yuriko added, approaching them with a medical kit as the four friends laughed.

"Ne, are you really ok?" Yura asked suspiciously, eyeing Rei's blood stained robes.

"Since when did you become such a nag? Of course I'm fi-HEY! What are you trying to do? Molest me?" Rei protested as Yuriko attempted to remove her blood-soaked top.

"It's called examining and disinfecting the wound you bakemono," Yuriko scoffed.

"Not in front of him!" Rei hissed, drawing her robe shut tightly, and eyeing the only official Shinigami in their midst with suspicious filled purple eyes. She could have sworn she heard him snort as his grey eyes locked with hers.

"I wouldn't have looked even if you paid me to," he replied coldly while Yura rolled her eyes and turned to her friend, expecting a comeback.

"Who said I was even referring to you? Besides, eavesdropping isn't polite," Rei grumbled. The Kuchiki just sniffed and turned away while Yuriko resumed her attack on Rei's top.

"Ne, Yuriko! I said no already! There are OTHER guys around, even if he isn't looking," Rei complained, folding her arms over her chest. Yuriko rolled her eyes at the stubborn girl.

"For someone who attempts to make guys in the class swoon by flirting with them as a game, you sure have a lot of reservations towards stripping. But whatever, Do what you want, just as long as I don't get blamed by sensei when we get back to Sereitei and your wound is badly infected and turning all sorts of funny colors and spewing out pus," Yuriko stated matter-of-factly. Rei grimaced at the imagery.

"On second thought, disinfecting the wound is probably more important than anything else," Rei admitted grudgingly, as Yuriko undid her top to reveal three long, deep and bleeding gashes.

"That looks painful," Frans winced, looking away.

"Hurry up. I've requested them to open the portal in 2 minutes," he hurriedly in icy tones, eyeing them disdainfully. Rei threw him a dirty look, and would have snapped back, had not Yuriko started applying antiseptic to her wound.

"Chotto! Itai!" Rei protested, squirming, only to get a stern glare from Yuriko which silenced her immediately. Kuchiki Byakuya found himself somewhat impatient as he watched Yuriko busy herself. How could cleaning a wound take so long? He wanted to get back to her. But maybe General Yamamoto had been right. Aizen wasn't the type who would let so many huge hollows leave the army that he was building just because they got hungry and needed a midnight snack. Then again, maybe they weren't under Aizen. But they had used his name. His brows furrowed slightly, but before he could further deliberate, he felt the usual pulling presence of a portal.

"Get in quickly," he urged somewhat impatiently as he watched them file in one by one.

"Wonder what's up his ass," Yura muttered before stepping through the portal. Frans chuckled, stepping in behind her.

"Watch your step," Yuriko remarked, turning to watch Rei who was walking with her zanpaktou as an aide.

"Wakatta," Rei replied boredly, stepping through the portal. She was almost fully through when the portal gave a violent lurch, causing a few screams and sending Rei flying back out and crashing right into someone behind her.

As alert as Kuchiki Byakuya was he really could not be blamed for not expecting one of his students to come flying at him when they were supposed to be entering a portal. This was why he was currently lying on the ground with said student above him.

"Itai! Gomen na sa-" Rei's voice died in her throat as her clear blue eyes met grey glaring ones, as she attempted to scramble to her feet, only to realize that she was tangled in his hakama, and further struggling would only cause it to tear.

"Um, it seems that I'm tangled in your hakama," she mumbled. The sixth division captain would have rolled his eyes had he not been busy fighting the blush that was attempting to cover his cheeks- a result of the fact that he could rather feel her body pressed up against his through her thin uniform.

Tilting his head slightly, he frowned as his gaze trailed down her ebony black ponytail, a slightly arched back and a slim waist to note a knot formed by her bandages and uniform with his hakama, resting inconveniently on her gluteus maximus. He could have sworn he was blushing. What was he supposed to say? "I'm sorry, could you undo the knot instead because it's over your ass and as alluring as your ass looks, I don't wish to molest it." He bit his cheek. He had better pay his annual visit to Unohana Taichou soon because there was definitely something wrong with him.

"Eto… sensei?" Rei mumbled curiously, looking up at him.

"I uh, can't reach it. Could you turn and undo it?" He asked somewhat uncertainly for once. Rei bit her lip before attempting to turn herself. Unfortunately, her squirming only further encouraged his blush. Never had Kuchiki Byakuya felt as if he would readily die of embarrassment.

"Finally," Rei mumbled, now that she was back facing him in a position that looked even more compromising than their previous one as eh reached down and untied the knot while he attempted to cut off all thoughts of how thin her uniform was.

"Owari!" Rei cheered successfully, about to get to her feet, only to have her unprepared legs give way and fall face first into him again.

"Gomen," she mumbled apologetically, her cheeks even redder. The Kuchiki captain let out a low growl of irritation from the base of his throat.

"Hold on," He grumbled, waiting for her hands to clutch his Hakama before he flipped them with ease, such that he was now above her. Rei bit her lips as his heavy and muscular body rested on her wound, but said nothing.

Getting to his feet smoothly, he grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet somewhat roughly. "Arigatou. What happened to the portal though?" Rei asked, searching for the object that had just caused what had felt like an eternity of embarrassment.

"Disappeared obviously. I'll call soul society to check," he said coldly, regaining his usual composure.

"Soul society, this is Kuchiki Byakuya. We seem to have encountered a slight technical difficulty with the portal. Is it possible for you to reopen another one for us? Yes, there's another student here with me," he monotoned while Rei watched from where she had seated herself on a nearby pile of rubble and had begin fidgeting with her blood soaked bandages.

"Arigatou," he finished, closing the communicator.

"So how is it?" Rei finally spoke up cautiously, noting his not too patient expression.

"They're going to open another portal," he stated.

"Did they explain what happened to the previous portal?" Rei asked curiously. He said nothing, but instead, started a restless pacing.

"Kuchiki Taichou?" A voice suddenly burst from the communicator, scaring Rei so much that she almost slid off the pile of rubble.

"Have you managed to get the portal working?" he asked, his impatience hiding beneath the surface, barely controlled.

"I'm afraid the portal still refuses to work, Taichou. The bonds between the two words are too unstable to establish a por-"The voice died in static. The Kuchiki's fist tightened in slight irritation.

"I give you my full permission to crush the phone and throw it away," Rei remarked softly. She could sworn that he snorted.

"Do you lack common sense? If I did that, how would we communicate with Sereitei?" he scoffed.

"With my communicator?" she asked somewhat sarcastically, pulling out a slim silver blue communicator adorned with a chappy. "Besides, venting your frustration can be therapeutic." A scowl threatened to cover his features, but he smothered the emotion.

"Looks like we're going to have to spend the night here," he remarked critically. Rei made a face.

"Here? But the place is totally ruined, and it's cold, and probably going to rain," she grumbled.

"Stop being childish. You're going to have to put up with much worse if you want to become a Shinigami," he reprimanded.

"Seeing as I AM a child, there's nothing wrong with me being childish. Besides, there's no reason why we can't put up somewhere, since we're souls and can't be seen," she argued.

"You're injured remember? I highly doubt you can walk far. You nearly yourself just trying to get off me just now," he pointed out.

"I'll risk my life for the sake of a proper bed and somewhere warm. Besides, if we go back to civilization, we might find other Shinigami on duty that couldn't get a portal either," Rei sniffed.

"Are you sure you didn't leave your brain behind you when you became a soul? Even if you could walk, it would probably take twice as long for us to get there, compared to if I go alone. Besides, for all you know, they might have gotten a portal ready by the time we've reached there," he retorted.

"And I thought nobles were supposed to be more polite. Look, I can guarantee you that they probably won't get a portal ready until the twelfth division captain has come up with a method, which probably won't be anytime tonight. Besides, they have to sleep as well you know," she snapped. The Kuchiki could have sworn in irritation. How was it possible for someone so stubborn and who lacked so much common sense to exist? Besides, spending a whole night arguing with a stubborn 250 year old wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

'You're absolutely sure they won't succeed in opening a portal any time tonight?" he asked finally. She threw him a dirty look.

"Fine. If they do, I'll make sure you regret it," he growled as Rei stuck out her tongue.

"Get on," he finally mumbled. He couldn't believe he was actually doing something so undignified. Rei raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"  
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to piggyback you." He winced internally at how crude the word sounded. "Unless of course you would rather I just toss you over my shoulder," he added sarcastically. Rei looked all the more amused.

"The always dignified Kuchiki-Taichou offering to piggyback me? I have got to be dreaming," Rei teased, getting to her feet. He shot her an icy glare.

"Don't push it. I'm still your sensei, a Taichou, and a Kuchiki," he growled. Rei simply laughed lightly, approaching him. Cautiously wrapping her arms around his neck, Rei almost let out a yelp as he lifted her with ease.

"So where exactly do you consider civilization?" he asked, inclining his head slightly to face the small figure on his back.

"Uh, Kakura Town or something like that. I heard there's a shop there that is run by a Shinigami, which sell stu-"but Rei never managed to fully explain what the shop sold, as the Kuchiki captain flash-stepped off.


	6. comfort

I REALLY think Bya's starting to get kinda OOC. PLEASE review and tell me

I don't own bleach, and i REALLY can't be bothered to come up with any catchy discliamers.

* * *

"I never knew that Kuchiki's were so petty," Rei grumbled, her face somewhat pale and ashen as she slid off the taichou's back to land on shaky legs.

"Whatever could you mean?" he replied in a monotonous tone, lifting a brow.

"That was obviously revenge for me proving you wrong and having to carry me," she accused, folding her arms. Had he been anyone else, he would have smirked. Instead, he settled for a witty retort.

"Can't you just accept that flash stepping here is much faster, and far more convenient than simply walking? Besides, your loud screams were more than enough as a payback," he stated matter-of-factly.

Rei flushed slightly. "I do not scream that loudly," she protested.

"Yes you do. A hollow five kilometers away would have heard you." He replied calmly.

"I do not!" Rei protested loudly once more before letting out a loud "humph", and turning away, a disgruntled expression on her features as she approached the door of the shop. Behind her back, a ghost of a smile could be seen on the Kuchiki's lips as he watched the small figure knock on the door.

"Mr. Urahara? Is anyone in?" she asked cautiously, knocking on the door. The door slid open so suddenly that the Shinigami-in-training let out a surprised yelp and stumbled back.

"How can I help you?" a voice from the shadows asked calmly.

"Eto…" Rei begun uncertainly, eyeing the suspicious figure wearing a green and white hat, a paper fan in his hand, and half shrouded by darkness.

"My friend, Fran, told me about your store, and as you know, the bonds between the worlds aren't very stable as of now, so we're kinda stuck here because they can't get a portal open. So we were wondering if you could house us for tonight, and also, we would like to get two gigai's," Rei finished hurriedly.

"He asked you how he could help you, not how you found out about his store, and the state of soul society," the Kuchiki remarked softly.

"Whatever," Rei replied with a pout, turning her attention back to the seated figure.

"Frans? You mean Francesca? Of course then, come in," he replied with a laugh as he got to his feet and gestured towards the house. Rei gave her sensei and uncertain look. He nodded stiffly, and the young student stepped into the house warily, as if expecting a booby trap to spring open the moment she took a step in.

"Welcome to my humble abode. You can just call me Urahara. We'll be glad to welcome you for the night. Now, as to the rooms- do you want one room or two?" he asked, as if it were the most difficult question on earth.

"Two!" the both of them replied hastily as Urahara raised a brow.

"If you say so. The spare rooms are all upstairs. Go up and turn right. You can take the spare rooms at the end of the corridor. Oh, and don't open the first two doors you see in the corridor, or go into the toilet by accident," he added thoughtfully.

"Is there anything else we should know about?" Rei asked nervously.

"Nope, I don't think I forgot anything, since the werewolves that I was researching on have been deported and…." He trailed off thoughtfully, while Rei shuddered.

"Anyway, the two of you should get back to bed. I'll have your gigai's ready tomorrow morning," he ended cheerfully.

"One last thing- do you have any idea when they might be able to get the portals up and working?" Rei asked hopefully. The shopkeeper seemed surprised by the question.

"Earliest by tomorrow morning I should think," he remarked. "Kurotsuchi's research can't be going any faster than mine," he added as an afterthought.

"Ha! I told you so!" Rei cheered, sticking a tongue out at her sensei.

"Childish," he replied coldly, brushing past her and heading up the stairs with silent footsteps.

"I bet you're just jealous and mad that I'm right," she teased, running up behind him to the amusement of the watching Urahara.

"My, my, the things that I've missed due to being in the human world. Kuchiki taichou is really turning soft," he mused silently before retreating to his room.

Ten minutes later found Kuchiki Byakuya lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, still dressed in his taichou's robes, seeing as he had found no other clothes that he considered proper. He couldn't help wondering how much longer he had to stay here, because honestly speaking, he very much preferred Sereitei to the human world. Being in the human world always made him feel awkward for some reason. Maybe it was because he had never spent enough time here to understand their ways. Yet she seemed to love this place, and couldn't get enough of it. He just wanted to get back to his room as soon as possible. Good things never happened to him in the human world.

As if heaven was trying to prove him right, the Kuchiki's room begun shaking as he leapt to he his feet instinctively, throwing open his room door, attempting to see where the tremors had come from. Rei's room seemed to be the source, and he frowned at the door that was glowing white with reiratsu. Forming a barrier around himself with his own reiratsu, he pushed the door open gingerly, about to shout chastise her for irresponsibly releasing her reiratsu, when he caught sight of her small form curled up into a ball, surrounded by her glowing white reiratsu, which was currently being released as small bursts of energy that wrecked her room.

He frowned, feeling somewhat at lost as he took in her shaking figure, tears streaming down her cheek as she let out soft sobs, her small and fragile looking frame trembling violently occasionally. Hollows, backstabbers, Ryoka, Arrancar and any other monster, he could deal with, yet it was ironic how helpless a crying girl could render him. To be honest, the Kuchiki did not have much experience dealing with crying females. Yes, he did have a younger sister, but he had adopted her at an age where she no longer cried, or even if she did cry, he had never needed to step in. As for Hisana-well, Hisana didn't emit rather strong bursts of reiratsu as dangerously as Rei was doing now when she cried.

He supposed he could always call that shopkeeper in to help. _"And do you want to see her sobbing her heart out in his arms?" _a voice in his head asked carelessly. For some reason, his stomach clenched uncomfortably at the imagery. After all, he was her sensei. If anyone should take responsibility and comfort her, it should be him. Yet why did he feel so strangely at lost?

"Are you alright?" he asked uncertainly. _"Rhetorical question,"_ a voice in his head scoffed, which he cut off immediately, as he eyed his crying student with nervous eyes, like one would an unstable wild animal. His suspicion proved to be well based, as the reiratsu surrounding her grew white hot, and another wild blast was released. Almost instinctively, he reinforced the protective layer of reiratsu he had created around him. He felt his impatience rising as how little control she had over her powers. Just because she was crying did not give her full rights to lose control of her reiratsu. But the only way to stop it was to calm her for now. Crossing the room slowly in two strides, he gingerly sat down on the edge of her bed, watching her sob for awhile before he slowly and cautiously reached a hand coated with his own reiratsu to touch her. Her reiratsu was as hot as it looked, and would have burned him had he not countered it with his own cooler reiratsu. Finally, his palm rested on her back lightly. He could feel her shaking, and realized how limp she was. However, her muscles seemed to tense instinctively at his touch.

Slowly, warily, he began to stroke her back, running his palm up and down her back in slow comforting strokes. The reiratsu surrounding her lessened and cooled slightly, but her sobs showed no sign of stopping. He let out a sigh of dread, and acting upon his last resort, he wrapped his entire arm around her small frame, pulling her towards him. She showed some reluctance, but followed, her skin feeling warm against his cool reiratsu. He watched her silently, though not scrutinizing, as he let her sob into his hakama, offering his strong embrace and cool touch as comfort. His feeling of awkwardness died away with her sobs, and after a while, he was able to examine her properly without feeling his cheeks turn warm. He had never realized before this how small she actually was. Normally, her cheerful attitude and considerably decent reiratsu drew more attention than her small size. Yet it was only now, as she buried her head in his chest, sniffing slightly, and letting her tears fall, that he realized how small and weak she was. Her small frame fit into his arms easily, her hands, small compared to his, clutching gently at his Hakama. She seemed devoid of strength, as she rested her weight completely on him, yet she was surprisingly light. Sitting down, her head barely reached his shoulder, her long ebony hair flowing down to reach her shoulder blades. Her face was turned away from him, but he could see that her pink lips that usually curved upwards in a cheerful smile were now dry and pale, not at all reflecting her usual cheer. Her normally dimpled cheeks were tear-stained. Her eyes were closed, the tired lines under them reflecting her exhaustion.

Now that he had gotten over his initial awkwardness, he couldn't help feeling curious. He really hoped this didn't happen every single time she cried. How on earth did her dorm mates put up with it? Yet some gut instinct of his screamed that something wasn't right. Crying didn't drain a person of so much energy, nor did it cause one to release reiratsu with such lack of control. Yet here she lay against him, completely unconscious, and drained. Frowning, he freed one of his hands that had been wrapped around her small waist, moving it to where her hands clenched his Hakama, attempting to remove it. She protested slightly, but gave in eventually as he wrapped his long fingers around her slender wrist, pulling it away. Shifting her body slightly, his nimble fingers delved to the bottom of the uniform that she had on. Lifting the edges slowly, he felt the warmth of her body as his fingertips trailed up her toned and muscular stomach to touch the bandages that Yuriko had wrapped securely around her. The three gashes had long stopped bleeding. However, they were emitting an ominous purple glow. The Kuchiki frowned as he slowly undid the bandages, his fingers lightly tracing the raw purple cuts that they revealed. His frown deepened as he took in their blackish purplish color. The wound had been disinfected, but disinfection had no effect on poison. And although he was no medic, the wounds were clearly infected-That hollows claws had probably been poisoned. He bit his cheek as what felt suspiciously like guilt spread through his heart. Had he been a few minutes earlier, she wouldn't have been in the state she was now. His fingers worked slowly, re-wrapping the bandages around her smooth, creamy skin. He supposed he could always make it up by staying the night. Besides, it would probably be better if he watched over her lest she acted up again. Or was that just an excuse he was giving himself because he felt more than a little reluctant, for some reason, to release her small, warm form from his grasp.

"Okasan! Don't go! Why aren't you breathing? Ne-san! Ne-san!" she mumbled softly, turning in his embrace slightly. He felt his brows furrow at how ominous the sentence sounded, but his features soon smoothed out as he couldn't help noting how child-like she sounded, having nightmares, and sleep–talking. Unconsciously, he tightened his hold around her waist, pulling her small frame closer in a protective embrace.


	7. next morning

oh wow. i just realised that i'm posting 4 chapters in a go. anyway, i think my standard is going down.

Review and tell ok. And i think that i'm really mutating bya and rei's character.

Disclaimer: i don't own bleach. never did, never will.

* * *

Rei couldn't recall the last time she had felt so safe. Flashes of laughter, and being swung around and carried in her nii-san's strong and protective arms shot through her mind, and she smiled contentedly, before the images turned into more morbid scenes of blood and pain. She frowned. No, she would stop thinking about it, and enjoy the safety and warmth that she was feeling. With that thought in mind, she nuzzled deeper into the warmth embracing her.

Kuchiki Byakuya looked down at the small form he was holding at her small movement. He couldn't help feeling secretly amused as he watched her smile contentedly, burying her head deeper against his chest. His left arm rested comfortably around her small waist, wrapping round it with ease. "Do you always do that to anybody in whose arms you wake up in?" he asked in a way that could almost be described as mischievous. Except that he was Kuchiki Byakuya, who was always stone cold-Right?

Rei forced herself to wake up upon hearing a somewhat familiar voice. Forcing open sleepy blue eyes, she removed a hand that had been resting on his chest to knead at them before blinking a few times to clear her vision. As her gaze trailed up a muscular chest and a white captain's hakama, she felt a sinking feeling of dread. As she had expected, her blue eyes locked with calm gray ones.

"Ku-Kuchiki sensei," she greeted weakly, her cheeks flaming.

"Nice to see that you're so alert to the advances of the people around you," he stated dryly, removing his hand from her waist, and getting to his feet. His remark only further strengthened the blush that was spreading to her cheeks.

"Eto… sensei, what uh, happened last night?" she asked uncertainly, avoiding his gaze. He raised an eyebrow at the flushing girl in front of him.

"You came to my room and dragged me here, saying you were having a nightmare." The words were out of his lips before he realized. But instead of correcting himself, he watched as she silently turned an interesting shade of scarlet.

"I-I did what?" she mumbled in disbelief, staring at the striking figure in front of her. He eyed her impassively for a moment before striding out of the room. A loud muffled scream could be heard the moment he shut the door behind him, as Rei buried her head in her pillow, kicking and thumping the bed.

5 minutes later found a still somewhat embarrassed Rei descending down the stairs in her gigai, which was dressed in a white skirt, and a shoulder baring pink top. "Ah, I see you're awake, Kusaka-san," Urahara's voice greeted cheerfully, waking Rei from her recollection of this morning's embarrassment.

"Ohayo, Urahara-san," she greeted, replacing her surprised expression with a cheerful smile.

"I hope your gigai's okay?" he asked politely, watching with dark eyes as she descended.

"It's great! Thank you so much! Ne, Urahara san, you've been living in Kakura for quite some time already right?" she asked hopefully, sitting down on the lowest step of the staircase, and resting her chin in her palm,

"I guess you could say that. Why?" he asked curiously, a hint of suspicion in his tone.

"Well, I was hoping that since I would be spending the whole day here, whether you could recommend any places that I have to go," she said with a shrug. "But don't let my sensei know. I don't think he would approve," she whispered seriously in a soft conspiratorial tone. Urahara couldn't help smiling at how child-like she was.

"You're definitely not going to go alone," a chilly tone interrupted so suddenly, that Rei gave a small yelp, and turned to face her impassive sensei that was standing behind her, his gigai dressed in an impeccably clean suit.

"Sensei," she greeted sheepishly, before wrinkling her nose, as she examined his attire.

"Why can't I go alone? I'm not a child. I'm already 250," she protested, her hands on her hip.

"Because, I'm not going to waste time running about and looking for you if they manage to get the portal up early," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, Urahara-san can just call my communicator. Besides, I promise that I'll be back early," she bargained, putting on a pleading expression.

"I didn't say that you couldn't go. I just said you're not going alone," he repeated patiently. Rei frowned, considering the implications of his sentence.

"Does that mean that if Urahara-san goes I can go?" she asked hopefully.

"No, it means that your sensei is going along," Urahara explained, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Really?" Rei asked, turning back to face him, her eyes widening. He gave an ambiguous shrug.

"Yatta!" Rei cheered, before eyeing him critically. "Demo, we're going to have to do something about your attire. It looks so formal, and it makes you look old," she mused critically.

"I highly doubt you even know my exact age. And besides, how exactly does my attire matter?" he asked, feeling somewhat insulted. She however, ignored his question, dashing down to the basement, only to return with a pair of jeans and a blue and white long sleeved shirt.

"There. It's not as formal as what you're wearing now, but it's not punk either. Go put it on!" she insisted, tossing both clothes at him. The Kuchiki eyed the two articles of clothing somewhat distastefully.

"I don't see what's wrong with my current attire," he stated stubbornly. Rei rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"Just put it on or…" she paused, attempting to come up with a suitable punishment. "Or I'll strip you and force it on myself," she finished, before cursing, and gesturing in a way that showed she clearly hadn't meant to say that.

"I'll like to see you do that," he replied cynically. Rei's cheeks turned somewhat pink, but her mind stubbornly insisted that it would be amusing, and good revenge, to see how he would react if she really did. Besides, she honestly wouldn't mind seeing him stripped down to his boxers (According to Yura who had read this in the Shinigami women's association magazine, the Kuchiki captain indeed wore boxers) only. Rei swore inwardly. Spending too much time with Frans was having a bad effect on her. Pushing away all embarrassment, Rei made her way up the stairs, closing the difference between the two of them, and tiptoeing such that they were almost nose to nose.

"I wouldn't mind, that is-if you're ok with it," she remarked throatily, a flirtatiously innocent expression on her face as she winked at him. The Kuchiki shifted uncomfortably, taken aback by her sudden boldness, wondering how someone like her could look so innocent while flirting.

"If you don't mind, I'm capable of doing it myself, thank you," he choked out before turning and striding back up the stairs, his face slightly flushed. Behind him, Rei burst into hysterics, while Urahara grinned.

"Hurry up! The parade's starting!" Rei's voice floated to him over the crowd, as for the tenth time that morning, he found himself threading through the crowd with quick strides, in an attempt to catch up with his hyperactive student. Yet surprisingly, he felt no irritation as he stood behind her, watching as she joined the crowd in laughing, waving and smiling at the colorfully dressed performers that passed by.

"Sensei, did you see the flip that that young girl just did? Isn't it amazing?" she asked excitedly, not really needing a reply as she turned back to watch the parade. He shrugged, standing behind her in a way that could almost be described as protective. Yet he wasn't watching the parade. Instead, his grey eyes were fixed on her smiling exterior. How was it possible for someone to derive so much happiness just from watching something as mundane as a parade? And how could it be possible for someone to wear their heart on their sleeve so openly, without fear of being hurt? He watched her expressions silently for a moment.

"Bye elephant!" she shouted, still waving happily as she watched the last of the performers leave their view before turning, and realizing that he was watching her.

"Is anything wrong sensei?" she asked curiously, purple eyes dancing with excitement meeting his grey ones. His eyes widened in surprise slightly, but he said nothing, simply turned away and strode off ahead of her.

"Ne, wait up sensei! Let's go get ice-cream at the store that Urahara-san recommended!" she said cheerfully, running past him into a nearby store.

"One chocolate fudge sundae!" she ordered cheerfully to the lady who seemed unable to tear themselves from the impassive captain.

"Anything for you sir?" she asked, putting on the most charming smile she could muster.

"No, I'm fine thank you," he replied coldly. The waitress' face fell a little, but she forced a smile as she headed to the kitchen with their orders. Propping her chin in her palm, Rei watched her sensei, as he stared out the window, in a world of his own.

"How do you do it sensei?" she asked quietly, breaking the silence between them. He raised a brow slightly in a questioning manner.

"Suppress your emotions. I know you probably don't like me saying this, but I have to say it anyway. It's as if every time I watch you, you're calm on the surface, like you're wearing a mask. Yet, it seems as if under your undisturbed surface, there are a whole lot of emotions trying to break through. I don't know how you can stand not giving in, and why you don't want to just let them go," she mused wistfully, seemingly apprehensive about his reaction.

For the first time in many years, the Kuchiki found himself not knowing what he should do. Yet amidst the small turmoil inside him, her sentence seemed to lighten some part of him. He could just turn her away, or for once, let some one in-one of the few who had bothered to try looking behind his mask of emotionless. One who was not put off by his coldness, but instead tried to understand it.

"I'm a Kuchiki. I always am, and always will be." He stated simply, hoping that it would confuse her enough to stop her questioning, yet somewhere deep inside of him was wishing that she understood. She looked rather surprised to have gotten an answer and she toyed with the hem of her skirt for a while before finally speaking up.

"The Kuchiki's aren't a noble family in this world. In their eyes you aren't a noble. And being a taichou means nothing in this world. They don't expect anything from you and neither do I," she stated softly, still not looking up from her skirt. He frowned slightly, unsure how to react, having never seen her so serious, quiet and subdued before.

"Your chocolate fudge sundae mam," the waitress said calmly, depositing the sugar and calorie filled glass onto the table with a clink, and breaking the tension between them. Looking up from her skirt, Rei gave a smile as she reached for her spoon.

"Forget about what I said. Let's just enjoy today," she said cheerfully, spooning a scoop of ice-cream into her mouth contentedly.

"Do you want to try some?" she asked, cocking her head to one side, and offering her spoon which contained a scoop of the ice-cream. He stared at it, deliberating and weighing the pros and cons, as if eating the harmless looking thing was a big risk. After a long while, he leaned forward, and taking the spoon in his mouth, carefully swallowed it. She watched him in surprise, a wide small on her lips.

"How do you find it?" she asked, eyeing his expression. He paused, trying to decide what to say.

"Sweet," was his one word answer, as Rei burst into giggles.

"Of course it's sweet," she said between giggles, as he frowned slightly at her reaction. "Gomen Nasai, demo, the way you were looking at it, as if it were something potentially hazardous," at this point, she burst into uncontrollable laughter again while the Kuchiki looked away, feeling decidedly awkward.

"If you're not going to finish that soon, I will," he threatened, as Rei burst into laughter again, but moved her hand to shift the cup nearer towards her and spoon another mouthful into her mouth. Yet amidst his awkwardness and embarrassment, he couldn't help letting his lips curl upwards slightly, as he watched he laugh, his heart feeling somewhat freer for some reason.


End file.
